Red star school, need?

Illustration: Internet

One of the reasons why teacher Nguyen Thi Phuong Thuy in Quang Binh province punished her students with 231 slaps was because she was under too much pressure to compete because her class was often ranked last. Behind this incident is… the "Red Star" nightmare!

Everyone is afraid of "Red Star"

The "Red Star" Team is one of the activities of the Youth Union in primary and secondary schools.

The students participating in the "Red Star" team are assigned by the team leader to observe and monitor all activities of the class and students, both the good things done as well as the shortcomings such as being late for school, not wearing red scarves, name tags, uniforms, going to the toilet, swearing...

The headmaster of a primary school in Hanoi told us that in his school, the total "Red Star" score for each class in 1 day is 40 points, graded according to 3 contents: diligence (10 points), hygiene (10 points) and discipline (20 points).

For the content of attendance, if the number of students is not enough, the behavior is not serious, the task is not completed, 3 points will be deducted/case; students who are late will be deducted 1 point/student, absent without permission: deduct 2 points/time/student. For the content of hygiene, if the classroom is dirty during or at the end of class, 5 points will be deducted; students who do not throw trash in the right place will be deducted 2 points/student. As for the content of discipline, if students quarrel or fight, depending on the level, 2-10 points will be deducted; students who commit the mistakes of wearing slippers, not wearing a red scarf, etc. will be deducted 2 points/time of violation; students who are rude, disobedient to teachers and adults will be deducted 10 points/time; students who are in the classroom, hallway, stairs (at the beginning of class and during recess) will be deducted 2 points/student.

From the recorded results of "Red Star", every Monday, the school will summarize and award emulation flags to the best classes of the week. The emulation results of each class will be the basis for the emulation classification of the homeroom teacher of that class, directly affecting the teacher's salary and bonus.

Currently, although it is not known which regulations of the education sector they are following, many schools have established the "Red Star" team "institution". Because of the scoring method, which emphasizes achievements, the "Red Star" team, which is participated by the students themselves, is unintentionally given the "power of life and death", making not only the students and their parents, but also the teachers feel uneasy.

Illustration: KHEU

Abuse of power

Many people compare the "Red Star" team in schools to "monsters" and it's not wrong!

An education expert said that the presence of the "Red Star" team is not wrong, but the way schools do things is gradually losing its positive aspects when everything is tied to deducting and adding points. The school's pursuit of achievements in scoring competition has pushed teachers into a race in which those who are ranked lower will be judged as weak, affecting their honor as well as their salary and bonus.

"Because of this pressure, teacher Thuy severely punished the student. It's not just Ms. Thuy, I know many homeroom teachers share this feeling" - this expert said.

Ms. Nguyen Huong, a primary school teacher in Hanoi, confided that she was so upset that she cried when her homeroom class was ranked last in the rankings one week.

"If I was not attentive and neglected my students, I would not feel resentful if I was classified as a weak or average homeroom teacher. But clearly I am not like that. I am close to my students and care about them, but because of students being late for school, forgetting red scarves, not saving water... the class's ranking dropped, and I was reminded to pay less attention to my students" - Ms. Huong said. This teacher also believes that the ranking of classes depends on the school's "Red Star" team, so she is under a lot of pressure.

"One of my students told me that a "Red Star" asked his child to "bribe" him with food, otherwise his name would be recorded in the notebook, affecting the class. Just because one student made a mistake, the whole class would have to suffer the consequences. It is also because these students hold so much "power" that many teachers in my school have to find ways to please them," said Ms. Huong.

Ms. Lan Hoang - a mother whose child is in 4th grade in Cau Giay District, Hanoi - told a story about her son, his school has a "Red Star" named Hung who often beats his classmates and demands gifts. If his request is not met, he will be hit on the head, on the back, and recorded in the notebook to have his points deducted.

Sharing the concerns of parents, Dr. Vu Thu Huong, Hanoi National University of Education, said that it is necessary to review the existence of "Red Star" schools; do not chase after achievements that give rise to competition, conflicts, and negatively impact the formation of the students' own personalities.

Ho Chi Minh City: Parents are not reassured

In Ho Chi Minh City, many primary and secondary schools also apply the "Red Star" team model. In some schools, the "Red Star" team helps teachers monitor and observe students' activities, discipline, and compliance with regulations. However, according to our survey, most parents of primary school students consider the "Red Star" team at school to be a real nightmare. Ms. NPT, a parent of Hoa Binh Primary School (District 1), said she was really shocked when one time, because of a traffic jam, her and her child had just rushed to school. Her child was rushing into class when a member of the "Red Star" team ran after her child and then looked intently at the name board to check that her child was late for school.

A parent whose child attends primary school at Nam Sai Gon School (District 7) is concerned about the "Red Star" team showing so much power. "Once, a member of this team firmly held my child's hand, not allowing him to enter the classroom when he forgot to bring his badge. When he did that, I felt like my child was... a criminal" - this parent shared.

On many parent forums, some parents expressed their disagreement with the existence of the "Red Star" team in schools.
Sociologist Dr. Pham Thi Thuy, a lecturer at the National Academy of Public Administration, said that the issue of students being assigned the "Red Star" task has long caused much discontent because the "Red Star"'s bad behavior will harm the psychology and influence the formation of students' personalities. Therefore, the school needs to review the activities of the "Red Star" team, so that students can be a bridge to help their friends and teachers so that the class becomes more and more joyful and united.

Ha Van
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Dr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh,Former Head of Vocational Education Department - Ministry of Education and Training:

Don't turn children into the "eyes and ears" of teachers.

Schools are places to teach children to be kind, compassionate, and tolerant people, not to educate children to be the "eyes and ears" of teachers. The bad behavior of the "Red Star" team will harm the psychology and influence the formation of students' personalities. Children will learn the bad habits of using excessive power.

The formation of the "Red Star" team is not regulated in the Education Law, so schools should consider finding other solutions. One school should not imitate another, leading to anti-educational behavior.

Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam,President of Hanoi Educational Psychology Association:

Don't give up "Red Star"

It is true that some schools do not properly use the "Red Star" team, leading to abuse of power and distortion. But that does not mean we should eliminate the "Red Star" team in schools. The problem is that the principals and heads of schools must take responsibility for allowing these wrongdoings to occur. We must prevent the wrongdoings of the "Red Star" team, eliminate the wrongdoing students and choose exemplary students who are enthusiastic to participate.

Dr. Vu Thu Huong,Hanoi National University of Education:

No need for "Red Star" in school!

In my opinion, we can still educate students about ethics without the "Red Star" team. We need to teach children to understand discipline, laws, and general regulations, thereby helping them know that each individual will have to take on different roles. The teacher is the one who controls whether the students in the class violate or not, but if she violates, she will also have to face the discipline of the school and class. Many countries have educated like that without the need for "Red Star" or competition.

HLAnhtake note